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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. lean — to bend
  4. board — a committee
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. cell — in biology
  7. sharp — clever
  8. content — the amount
  9. wound — an injury
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. lean — thin
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bass — the fish
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bass — low music
  22. foot — a measure
  23. cell — a phone
  24. content — happy

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com